"(The bill) simply says that if a company wants to move to electronic statements then it can only do so with the consent of the customer and if the customer does not consent, then that customer will continue to receive paper bills and not be charged," he said on Monday.

Suppliers that don't comply will face penalties.

It follows calls by Labor MP Tim Hammond in May to introduce similar laws.

He wanted legislation that gave Australians the right to receive communications from banks, electricity providers, telcos and others by mail at no extra cost.

Mr Hammond argued that companies often charged a fee as a disincentive and that it did not represent the actual cost incurred by them.

Source AAP

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